Seville, Spain

Seville, Spain, the biggest (but not too big, just perfect size for exploring) and the most fascinating town of Andalusia in my opinion. By so many reasons Seville can’t be missed if you are travelling in Southern Spain.

City of Seville is quite easy to get to, since it is connected by air with many European cities. There is also a comfortable modern train from Seville to Madrid and Cordoba, and it helps to built smooth Spanish itinerary even without driving.

Well, for me Seville was an easy love from the first glance or rather from the first walk. Effervescent with daily life, as authentic as it can get, somehow dramatic, quirky in many points, a trifle spooky if you wish, easy walkable, picturesque, and packed with unexpected treasures.

I’m not here to load you with tremendous history of Seville, I’m just to tell you my very own story of Seville in hope you would enjoy this town as much as I did.

I’m independent luxury travel advisor, so I can afford enjoying my travel pleasures in the order I prefer, without putting main attractions at the centre (I’ve seen and appreciated so many). So I can start my Seville essay from as down to earth as traditional tapas bars rather than Royal Alcázar, Seville Cathedral, Torre del Oro… these tremendous (I mean it) historical monuments you will not miss any way, me or not me.

Along with Royal Alcázar, tapas bars of Seville are, no doubts, essential part of city’s heritage and inevitable part of its culture. I’m lucky enough to have few local friends, so my exploration of this food and beverage phenomenon included the most remarkable and authentic places where I might not (well, probably I might) dare to go by myself.

If you are not fluent in Spanish, and there are no native Sevillian friends to take you around, I would highly recommend to order tapas tour and spend one of your evenings enjoying this special experience at its best under guidance of local connoisseur.

There is an endless array of tapas bars in Seville from modern and slick to the most traditional and even historical, from very basic to fancy, and all of them have their dedicated clientele.

At lunch time and later evenings the most popular ones are so packed, you would have hard time to find not only chair but even place to stand, literally. But this is a part of the game if you decided to play local.

Be prepared to shout your orders on top of your lungs. When ordered, your glass of wine, plate of jamon or cornet of patatas bravas will be moving from hand to hand on top of the heads to reach you. Somehow it always arrives, and I didn’t see much of accident happens during this risky procedure. Nevertheless, I would not ware my most precious clothes in tapas bar of Seville. Just for the peace of mind, you know.

If you wish more relaxing and quiet environment for the evening, you may want to start earlier – the bars are getting really busy around 10-11 pm. Also there are plenty of fancy, modern tapas bars which offer gourmet food and wine at higher price, and those don’t get trolleybus packed even in rush hours. Yet if they are good, finding seat can be challenge.

But sure enough, the real explorer of Seville must try traditional places like El Rinconcillo for the surreal amusement to watch artistic work of camareros (bartenders) navigating through busy routine of typical Seville night.

El Rinconsillo, one of the oldest tapas bars in Seville

While you are shouting your order over the background noise, heavily pressed to the bar counter, the camarero is sketching quick notes by chalk right on the dark wooden counter top in front of you. Smart, isn’t it? Who needs those electronic devices?

And behind the counter things happen like in the movie: bottles pop open one after another, jamon gets sliced to transparent perfection and thrown to the plates, ensalada rusa stirred, few glasses in one hand, plates balancing in the air, abrupt orders passed from one camarero to another salted with loughs and jokes… What a beautiful well up and running organism! Believe me, watching those guys in work is a true delight! And oh… you are in Seville!

Entertaining as they are, tapas bars are not exactly tourist attraction. They are inevitable part of Seville’s everyday life style: social, communicative, sharing, mostly affordable, suitable for everyone, no matter what age you are. People come there to eat, meet friends, or just read newspaper over glass of wine outside of home when they feel lonely. I guess it is wonderful.

But well… If you dip further into city’s heritage, you will discover that not everyone is that social in Seville. Amazingly, there are still few small convents, very discreet, where nuns live almost untouched by bustle of modern life even their location is surrounded by it all over. And it is also Seville.

Monasterio de Santa Paula is one of the most accessible and “tourist friendly” enclaves if I can put it this way. It offers outstanding permanent art exhibition which can be visited by appointment, and visitors are silently allowed to take a sneak glance on mysterious and isolated monastic life. Cloisters are separated from public areas by iron grids, and sometimes shy silhouette of nun, busy with her daily duties, can be seen through.

I learned few stories of these women who choose to live in full isolation from the world, even from their close families… Fascinating. I assume they found their own valuable world to live in, somehow very limited, somehow infinite.

Art collection of Monasterio de Santa Paula includes numerous figurines of saint ladies beautifully dressed in attire which was elaborately handmade by nuns. These figurines are so well taken care of that I can dream of nuns secretly playing with them like little girls would be playing with dolls. Try to imagine these women forever hidden from all temptations of real world, still children by soul, living within this dollhouse inhabited by saints. Another world indeed…

Some convents of Seville are way more restrictive than Monasterio de Santa Paula. Imagine, there is a famous place in Seville where you can buy traditional cookies from nuns, but you are not allowed to see the nuns or interact with them. You just put 2 euros on the shelf of carousel in the wall opening, carousel turns twice, and cornet of cookies arrives with second turn. Quite unique, isn’t it?

Obviously, not all traditions of Seville are as peculiar as cookie selling through opening in the wall or secret doll-playing. Many fascinating places to visit are related to local crafts of all kinds: workshops, small galleries, stores, tiny museums, run by modern people, yet people deeply connected to the heritage of the place.

Just think of visiting saddle-makers’ workshop which serves Spanish royal family. Current king of Spain still orders his hunting boots at Quarnicioneria Lopez, the same as his ancestors did. Tradition and quality till last stitch. I bout there belt purse as a present for my husband. Truly the quality which grandkids will inherit.

Quarnicioneria Lopez

The owner of the shop showed us leather shoes her husband made for their children when they were young. Piece of art. Shoes and boots are still made here to measure and by hand, no compromise. This is Seville.

Remarkable art galleries and workshops are in abundance in historical centre of Seville. You may find some of art objects a bit quirky but you will not be bored for sure. It is an essence of Seville: eclectic mix and match of epochs and cultures which swept through this fascinating town leaving their mark on the land, objects and people.

Owing to my love to ceramic, both traditional and modern, I could not miss Ceramic Center of Triana. It was created to preserve memories of Cerámica Santa Ana factory, one of the last ceramic factories that stayed operating in Seville until very recent.

My favourite part of this awesome place is permanent exhibition of Andalusian ceramic heritage. Some antique pieces were collected from other museums of Seville, some requested on loan from private owners. I could stay there for hours admiring incredible colours and textures by old artisans in such variety.

…Ones I had ceramic-making lesson. Breathtakingly ugly result of my creative work sensibly increased my appreciation for any ceramic piece which doesn’t resemble old boot squashed by road roller, really… But what you will see at Ceramic Center of Triana is exceptionally far from it. Simply beautiful.

Getting back to food traditions of Seville… This is an essential part of life in Spain in total, Andalusia in particular. Can be tapas bar, or historical confiteria (place where you buy homemade sweets), or just street stall selling chestnuts. You eat well when you are in Seville.

My last night exploring Seville was kind of lonely: work was done, friends were gone, and I was just happily wondering around the streets with my camera. At some point I was feeling for glass of wine and little tapas, nothing fancy. That was the moment when I was about to be adopted by tunos.

Tunos are university students who arrange group (la tuna) walking the streets in traditional costumes, playing guitar, singing, and making a bit of money to support their study. This is old tradition (what is not in Seville!), and beautiful too.

I met tunos when they were resting in open air tapas bar, very simple one, playing and singing just for their own pleasure, having well deserved glass of beer and lots of fun. They were young, handsome, flamboyant, poor – like myself good 30 years back. I called waiter and paid their round of beer to thank them for complimentary open air concert.

Next? I was hearty invited to join the table of tunos, and I’ve spent most fun evening ever, sharing food, beer (well, wine for me), laughs, songs and vivid conversation (which was a bit troubled since boys didn’t speak much English, and my Spanish is heavily related to my relatively fluent Italian). Evening to remember.